If you said Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, think again. It's actually Sony's own Syphon Filter series. Sure, score aggregation's an endlessly imprecise science, but by any measure, little-known Sony Bend has shown that -- at least on this platform -- it can match Kojima Productions in the minds of the critics. And with good reason: Up until now, Syphon Filter's been the superior series on the PSP -- though hardly anyone seems to notice, given the far bigger Metal Gear name.
You can bet that at least one man involved in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's development has taken notice, though: Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima himself. And don't think that a notorious perfectionist like Kojima isn't taking that as a challenge, since he no doubt wants the top stealth-action series on every possible platform. Why else would he eschew big-time console development for the less-glamorous PSP scene? Unlike on Portable Ops, Kojima's handling essentially all of the major writing, producing, and directing duties with Peace Walker. Why put yourself through that unless you've got something to prove?
And as soon as I started Peace Walker and realized that aiming was now mapped to the face buttons -- just as in both PSP Syphon Filter entries -- I knew Kojima had definitely spent some quality time with Syphon Filter protagonist Gabe Logan over the past few months. But it was hard not to focus on the controls: They were simply everywhere at Konami's hands-on presentation, whether it was the scores of in-game tutorials or even waiting in line to play the game. A gruff Japanese R. Lee Ermey type, decked out in full battle regalia, lectured the assembled media for what had to be at least 15 minutes on the finer points of Peace Walker's controls before Konami even allowed us to go hands-on with the game!
While Peace Walker definitely feels like Syphon Filter at times, it also feels like Metal Gear, a feeling missing far too often during Portable Ops. This is true not just in the stealth segments, but also in the highly stylized comic book-style cut-scenes by artist Ashley Wood. But of course, in order to truly feel like Metal Gear, Kojima's gotta find the right mix of wild and wacky, fresh and familiar characters. Peace Walker seems to fit that final bill, featuring the return of hardcore survivalist Master Miller, last seen in the original Metal Gear Solid on PS1.
But the star of the Tokyo Game Show demo was definitely Paz, a Costa Rican girl who takes her fashion cues from Little Red Riding Hood and her mental issues from Firefly nutcase River Tam. And, in true Metal Gear tradition, Peace Walker offers players the option to view her in her bra and panties by pressing certain buttons at the proper time (hey, don't look at me -- the game told me to do it!). Which would all be well and good, except Paz is also described in-game as a "16-year-old with the mind of a child." Um... yeah. I'm thinking that Konami's gonna have to retcon her American age in order to safeguard against any potential ESRB issues.
But hey, it wouldn't be a Metal Gear without some sort of character controversy. And, really, here's how you know Kojima's on the right track: A mysterious short-haired woman named Strangelove doesn't even look like she's close to being the most bizarre character in the game.